Episode 312 (Manga)
Synopsis Though at first intimidated by the notion of a Sea God, Isidro is still raring to enter the cave. Before he can move, however, a large wave of water washes over him, knocking off his feet. He lands face-first on the stones on which he stands, and his forehead begins to bleed. The girl invites him to her house, where she'll patch him up, and he goes with her. Both fail to notice that Isidro's salamander dagger has fallen on the rocks. Guts' group all stare at the statue, and Schierke identifies its subject as some old god. Apparently, she says, the Holy See's doctrine has not spread to the isolated island, so the inhabitants still worship ancient Astral beings. Schierke tells the group to continue their search for an inn while she explores the island for suspicious activity. Roderick offers to lend her some bodyguards, but she assures him that her powers are much more effective in the island's primitiveness than in a large city like Vritannis. The blue-haired girl has brought Isidro to her house, a small cabin. Wrapped in a towel, Isidro warms himself by the fire. When he turns to look at the girl, he finds that, though her back is turned, she has stripped completely naked and is drying her hair. Without dressing, she turns her attention to Isidro's bleeding forehead, oblivious to the fact that Isidro is staring at her. She wraps a bandage around his head and steps back to clothe herself, and they take the opportunity to introduce themselves properly; the girl's name is Isma. Isidro tells Isma that his group will leave the island the next morning, and she excitedly asks him to eat at her house so that he can tell her about the world off the island. He accepts, and she eagerly sets about to make food. Guts' party has managed to find an inn. They all sit at a table, but cannot make themselves comfortable due to the eerie atmosphere and smell of fish. Guts gazes at other patrons and sees that their skin has the same texture as Bonebeard's did the previous night. The inn's cook asks the patrons to serve their own food. Roderick stands to do so, but Guts offers to go in his place; peering through the window into the kitchen, Guts can see the cook's odd movements as the latter walks into the back room. Schierke has found the cave where the Sea God resides and identifies it as the source of the odd feeling which pervades around the island. Moving to enter it, Schierke notices Isidro's salamander dagger. She picks it up, fearing that Isidro has wandered into the cave alone, and is suddenly accosted by several tentacle-creatures identical to those summoned by Bonebeard, only much smaller. Fearing that the monsters ate Isidro, Schierke reaches out to him via thought transference. Isidro is so focused on the sight of Isma's breasts that he only manages to send a mental image of her cleavage back to Schierke. The sight shocks Schierke long enough for the monsters to begin attacking. At Isma's house, Isma is leaning over the table, eager to hear more of Isidro's stories and obliviously giving him a clear view of her chest. He still manages to tell the story of his defeating the troll boss in the Qliphoth, and he revels in how absorbed Isma has become in his stories. In an attempt to prove that his stories are true, Isidro reaches to grab his dagger, only to realize that it is missing. However, Isma still believes him, claiming that his being in the company of an elf is proof enough. Schierke pokes her seaweed-covered head into Isma's window, brandishing the salamander dagger at Isidro and berating him for having lost it. Isma steps forward, correctly presuming that Schierke is one of Isidro's traveling companions. When Schierke looks at Isma, she sees that the blue-haired girl is not ordinary - she has a deep connection to the sea. Characters in Order of Appearance